For anyone who loves Electronics, building new and unique projects will always offer a whole lot fun in regards to experimentation, prototyping and, ultimately, the end results that each project offers. However, what many Makers don’t understand is that each of the projects we build can be made even better, and this can be achieved quite easily by connecting projects up to your own personal network – allowing projects to talk to each other and react as a unified system, rather than just individually.
This is what makes these IoT LoRa Node pHATs for Raspberry Pi so damn awesome! They are designed with the recent LoRa protocol, which stands for Long Range, and are capable of achieving transmissions up to 10km in open-air – albeit at a lower speed depending on the distance it needs to transmit. This means that you can connect all of your projects together to create your own specialised, ad hoc network of awesomeness, with an IoT LoRa Gateway HAT acting as the “Command centre” of sorts that lets all of the LoRa Nodes in your network to work together as a team.
One of the most amazing factors about these IoT LoRa Node pHATs is their pHAT design, which may sound like it’s straight outta the 90’s, but actually stands for “Partial-HAT”. These pHATs are smaller than Typical HATs, but still work just the same as any HAT. However, because of their smaller form factor, pHATs can discretely fit the smaller Raspberry Pi Boards like the Pi Zero and Pi Zero W. This lends itself well to low-cost, high-effect prototyping, as you can use the simpler Zero boards to save on costs for your Nodes, and then operate a full-sized Pi for your Gateway, in order to handle all of the data incoming from various Nodes. Additionally, as an extra benefit, smaller boards typically require less current to operate, making them perfect for installing in remote or difficult-to-reach locations, with the option for running the Pi and Node on a Li-Ion Battery HAT or The PiJuice HAT, with Solar Panels to charge these up during the sunlight hours.
Please Note: These IoT LoRa Node pHATs from Pi Supply offer users the choice of utilising the integrated antenna, or equipping their own external antenna. However, if you want to use an external antenna, you will need to desolder/cut the connection labelled “INT”, and create a connection between the “EXT” terminals. Unfortunately, these two antennae will interrupt each other if they are both active, so be sure to utilise only one of them.
IoT LoRa Node pHAT for Raspberry Pi - Technical Specifications: |
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– RAKWireless RAK811 Long Range Transceiver Module |
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– Semtech SX1276 & stm32L |
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– SA: 863 to 870 MHz / 433 MHz – EU: 863 to 870 MHz – US: 902 to 928 MHz – AS: 923 MHz |
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– 1 |
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– Up to 10km in Open-Air |
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– Raspberry Pi 4B | 3B+ | 3B | 2B – Raspberry Pi Zero W | Zero | Zero WH – Raspberry Pi Boards with 40 GPIO Headers |
Parts Included with the Multi Frequency IoT LoRa Node pHAT: |
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Typical Applications for IoT LoRa Node pHAT for Raspberry Pi:
These awesome IoT LoRa Node pHATs are designed to be used with the IoT LoRa Gateway HAT, and enable users to create specialised networks between various modules, sensors or even individual components. As such, they are very often used for remote operations in which it might be difficult to extend a wired connection to, such as computer systems on farms or large industrial areas, as well as just for personal projects over a relatively long range. Each Gateway can simultaneously listen to up to 8 channels (one node per channel) at the same time, while the nodes can also transfer data between each other in serial format if necessary.
Additional Resources:
- This IoT LoRa pHAT GitHub Repository, offering a wealth of information about the hardware, as well as technical specifications and common use cases.
- The LoRa pHAT Software Library Download from GitHub, to let your Pi communicate effectively with the various components and protocols on the pHAT.
Pi Supply is a fantastic brand that truly personifies the open-source movement. Having been founded by a single individual with a passion for electronics and audio, and growing into a world-recognised brand that now supplies specialised expansion boards to a global community, the humble hobbyist beginnings of Pi Supply began with the simple need for a convenient power-switch for a Raspberry Pi board stored under a bed.
Since their humble beginnings, Pi Supply have grown to be a full team of passionate Makers who truly live up to the name of “The Maker Emporium”, with over 7 different product ranges launched over Kickstarter, and a growing catalogue of over 800 items now available – all with fantastic after-sales support, which is something that we consider to be extremely valuable.
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